The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I'm a "Farmer", Not a Demon King! ~ - Chapter 475

The Strongest Farmer in Another World ~I’m a “Farmer”, Not a Demon King! ~

Chapter 475   The Hero returns to the demon castle

Three days had passed since the day the hero first arrived.

During these three days, I left the selection of the team members and the fine-tuning to Edward, Granny, and my father. I diligently prepared and armed myself with various weapons and seeds, anticipating unforeseen circumstances. I also spent time with my worried mother.

However, those days came to an end, and once again, the hero arrived at the Demon King’s castle. I had to interact with them as the Demon King.

“Now then, Hero. Let me get straight to the point.”

“Uhm, yeah.”

“I am willing to go to the Holy Kingdom.”

“Really!?”

Upon hearing my words, the hero’s serious expression crumbled into joy.

“However, there are some conditions. Firstly, it’s only natural for the king to visit, but not only me, but my comrades should accompany me.”

“Yeah, I und—”

“When you say ‘comrades,’ how many are you referring to?”

While the hero was about to respond to my seemingly reasonable request, the Saint, Canon, interrupted.

“About three thousand, I guess.”

“Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Hey, are you seriously saying that? It’s the king’s movement. Isn’t that a normal number?”

Even though we were a group of criminals, I was still the king. I had inflated the number quite a bit compared to the predetermined minimum, but for a king’s entourage when visiting another country, it shouldn’t be too unreasonable.

“Well, considering our relationship, it might be an appropriate number. What if we suddenly get attacked? Or do you think we can defend ourselves with just a dozen people? You wouldn’t say something like that, right?”

“Well, not to that extent, but… It’s just that, could you reduce it a bit more?”

“A bit more, huh? Specifically, how much are we talking about?”

“From our perspective, we believe that somewhere between five hundred and a thousand would be reasonable. What do you think?”

“Five hundred… From three thousand down to five hundred in one go. Quite a reduction.”

Granny and Edward had estimated a minimum of around three hundred, but what Canon suggested was a larger number than that. Therefore, I sighed in relief, thinking that this negotiation might end a bit more smoothly.

“Given the current situation, I won’t call it a waste, but bringing unnecessarily many attendants could lead to a waste of food and incur the resentment of the people. As a result, unexpected things might happen due to the displeasure of our citizens.”

“An attack from the citizens, huh?”

Well, if we were to bring a thousand or two thousand attendants, it would indeed consume a considerable amount of food. If those outsiders, instead of from their own country, were to devour such a quantity of food, resentment was likely to arise.

“But five hundred… It feels a bit low, but well, fine. How about having three hundred combat personnel? In addition to that, we’ll bring personnel from merchant guilds handling food, porters, attendants, and also elves as investigators. That would sum up to about a thousand, which is much less than the initially proposed three thousand from our side. Can you accept that?”

“A thousand?… Understood. Let’s proceed with that then.”

Canon seemed a bit hesitant, but in the end, she nodded. She probably understood that the five hundred she suggested was a bit low, and since she herself had mentioned a thousand, she couldn’t really refuse. Besides, pushing further on reducing the number wouldn’t be sensible since they were the king’s entourage. She probably understood that, which is why she didn’t insist. This woman wasn’t the type to act against common sense.

Moreover, the number had decreased compared to the initially proposed one, so that was something to be pleased about.

… I might be thinking too much about it. Though I said three hundred combat personnel, the reality was that most of the thousand people we would bring were combat personnel.

Just think about it. These were residents of Karakas, born and raised in the harsh environment of Karakas. They lived in a world where you had to kill or be killed, where you could easily meet your demise if you let your guard down. That’s why they were stronger than ordinary soldiers or knights. There was no way they could be killed helplessly.

These people worked as servants here, not as warriors or soldiers but as mere servants. Even if they were just maids or porters, they could kill without hesitation. If not, they would be killed themselves. So, although they were brought under various positions, the reality was that they were a collective force of a thousand combat personnel. With just that, we should be able to flee even if attacked.

Bringing such people along, it was more effective in terms of military strength compared to bringing an ordinary three thousand.

“…Are you really okay with this?”

However, after it was decided, Canon, perhaps having some thoughts afterward, asked with a slight frown.

“What’s the matter? Do you have any complaints? It should be a good thing for you, right? I reduced the number from the one I initially proposed. That thousand you suggested was your proposal, wasn’t it?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“Rather, you’re allowing a thousand people from Karakas… and three hundred of them are combat personnel, and you’re letting them enter your country. In a normal country, I think they would refuse such a number… The Holy Kingdom is kind, huh.”

When I said that, I could see Canon clenching her fist tightly. Perhaps, deep down, she wanted to refuse even the three hundred, but due to the circumstances, she couldn’t, and being taunted for that seemed to irritate her… in simple terms, it must be annoying for her.

“Or maybe you were thinking that three hundred combat personnel wouldn’t be able to do anything? That even if we did something, it would be easy to take care of us at that level? Is that why the residents of Karakas were allowed to head to the Holy Kingdom?”

When I said that, Canon’s expression stiffened slightly.

In reality, in her mind, she probably had contingencies prepared for the worst-case scenario, where we… well, not in the worst-case scenario but anytime. Anytime, if the situation became inconvenient for them, she likely had a plan to eliminate us immediately. This was probably discussed during the prior negotiations with the higher-ups of the Holy Kingdom.

However, to disrupt that atmosphere, I decided to speak in a slightly playful tone.

“— Just kidding, of course. There’s no way, right? You won’t launch an attack on us. Besides, we don’t intend to fight against a ‘country’ with just three hundred combat personnel. Numbers represent strength, after all.”

That’s right. ‘Numbers’ mean strength. If you’re powerful enough, you can usually ignore the difference in numbers, but even with that strength, if the numbers are evened out, the possibility of losing increases. Especially when the opponent is on equal footing, the difference in numbers becomes more pronounced.

Therefore, having a larger number of ‘combatants’ capable of fighting makes one stronger, and it’s common sense not to think about fighting a powerful country with just three hundred combat personnel. Even if you add attendants, there are only a thousand of us. There’s no intention of fighting with that.

But even though I said that with a smile, Canon’s face was slightly distorted in thought. Perhaps she’s considering if they’re really in control, something along those lines.

Indeed, that’s the case.

“There’s one more thing.”

“…What is it?”

I intended to address the Hero, but once again, Canon responded. Despite being in the most appropriate position as the negotiator for this conversation, it seemed that Canon had completely taken over that role.

Well, he probably can’t negotiate properly, and he’s not much better at it, I thought.

“Take us to the sacred tree in your country… the Holy Kingdom.”

“…The sacred tree?”

Although Canon showed a puzzled expression to my words, from the way she reacted, it seemed like she was aware of the existence of the sacred tree.

The existence of the sacred tree is basically kept a secret. Only a very limited number of people know about the existence of the sacred tree.

So, not knowing about it wouldn’t be strange, but in that case, the reaction would be more like “I don’t know.” It would be something similar to the Hero next to her.

However, her demeanor was different. I didn’t know if she knew the details, but for now, it was highly likely that she knew about the existence of the sacred tree.

Probably, she knew that there used to be a sacred tree in the Holy Kingdom, and that it was cut down. After all, she’s the “Holy Maiden.” She can be considered a symbol of the church, and someone in a high position like her would undoubtedly know.

If she were just a “Holy Maiden” from a fairy tale, pretty and nothing more, she probably wouldn’t know. However, a person who came all the way here for negotiations, gathered information, and, among other things, handled various “underground” tasks in these three days must know dark secrets. Even if it’s a thing of the past, she should have been informed about the overall flow of events.

However, she probably didn’t think that knowing about the sacred tree alone would be related to this incident. Perhaps, she knew about it but didn’t recall it.

“You should have seen it, and even now, you can see it faintly from that window there. It’s about the large tree in the garden. There should be something similar in your country as well.”

Pointing outside the large window in the Throne Room, you could see, albeit at a distance, the large tree in the garden.

“…Is that really okay?”

The Hero, who should have lost the role of negotiator to me with an unexpected proposal, asked in a somewhat surprised manner.

“Yeah. As you can see, this country coexists with the Elves. We prohibit treating Elves as slaves like in the Zaviet Kingdom or the Holy Kingdom, and we actually live together peacefully. The Sacred Tree is like a godly existence for the Elves.”

“That’s why…”

I don’t know what the Hero thought when he saw the city, but he nodded seriously. Most likely, recalling the sight of the Elves, he understood why I wanted to go see the Sacred Tree.

However, his understanding might be a bit off. If he truly comprehended it, he wouldn’t have such a calm reaction. Well, Canon and Lina seem to understand, but Darado, I have no clue. He’s still glaring at us without changing his expression, maintaining a poker face of sorts.

“And, the term ‘godly’ doesn’t apply only to the Elves. It’s the same for the plants. Rather, it might be more accurate to say it’s the very god of the plants.”

As I said that, the Hero’s eyes widened, showing surprise as if he understood the meaning of my words.